Page 58 of The Phyre that Burns
I placed my phone on the bathroom counter and looked in the mirror. Although I’d been asleep for most of the day and had only been awake a short time, I looked refreshed. I was dressed in leggings and a long-sleeved T-shirt, which Mrs. Jordan probably didn’t consider presentable.
“Sweetness,” I heard through the bathroom door. “You good?”
“I’m fine. You can come in.”
He slowly opened the door, and his face was filled with concern.
“Are you okay? Did she say something to hurt your feelings?” he asked after pressing a kiss to my forehead.
I smiled when I thought of my conversation with his mother.
“She wasn’t very nice, but my feelings are intact.”
“You’ll have to tell me once she leaves. Come with me to find out the reason for her visit.”
“You don’t need me for that.”
“I need you for everything, baby.”
“Wait. I think she figured out who I am.”
“It doesn’t matter because I’m about to tell her exactly who you are.”
He didn’t wait for me to agree, taking my hand and leading me back to the kitchen. His mother was still seated, and we joined her at the table.
“Ma, let me formally introduce you to the woman who will soon be my wife, and the mother of my future children. This is Ginae Burns. Baby, this is my mother, Clementine Jordan.”
I didn’t even hear his introduction because I was stuck on how he introduced me, and his mother seemed just as surprised as I was.
“Phyre, be serious.”
“The only other time I’ve been as serious as I am right now was when I refused to marry Kavia.”
“Son, it’s one thing not to marry Kavia, but it’s another to marry someone who would never fit into our world.”
“Please believe me, . . . the last thing I want to do is fit into your world,” I said.
“That’s your world, and I don’t even fit into it. What makes you think I want to marry someone who does?” Phyre questioned. “If I never go to another event thrown by you and your uppity friends for causes that no one else has heard of, I’ll die a happy man.”
“Phyre! What’s gotten into you?”
“I’m not sure what you mean, Ma. I’m not behaving any differently than usual. I always speak my mind.”
“You can’t be serious. Where is her engagement ring?”
I looked down at my empty fingers. There was no proposal or ring, so his mother’s question was valid.
“Her ring is getting sized,” he responded as if he’d been preparing for this conversation all day. “Was there any reason in particular you stopped by?”
“No. I was in the neighborhood, and I thought you were home when I saw the truck in the driveway. If you plan to marry this woman?—”
“Her name is Ginae.”
She released an annoyed breath and rolled her eyes before continuing, still not addressing me by name. “Why didn’t you introduce us sooner?”
“It’s been thirteen years since we were last together, and we’re making up for lost time,” he told her. “My fake engagement to Kavia kinda put a monkey wrench in my plans. Besides, I knew you wouldn’t accept her with open arms, so why would I subject her to an unwelcoming situation?”
His mother had no response, and the three of us sat quietly for an uncomfortable amount of time. It was awkward, and I had to stop myself from leaving this mother-son duo alone to finish this conversation.
